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And so it begins for the Calgary Stampeders.
The challenge of putting together a roster for the final two regular season games. The challenge of keeping players sharp, while not exposing them to injury. But with a team only able to dress 44 players, the options are limited for any team or coach.
Then there is the myriad of roster decisions that must be made in advance of the division final.
The Calgary Stampeders appear poised to strike a balanced approach.
The team will dress all healthy players for its home regular season finale on Saturday against Winnipeg.
That means Jon Cornish will return to action for the team after missing the Saskatchewan game. It also means quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell will remain in the game for the bulk of the contest.
However, it also means Charleston Hughes will sit for the Stampeders. The talented rush end continues to battle back from a foot injury suffered in mid-September. Coach John Hufnagel admitted this week that the recuperation is not going as expected.
Once the Winnipeg game is over, the Stampeders will turn their attention the season finale in Vancouver. Receiver Marquay McDaniel is expected to return after a broken wrist sidelined him for an extended period. As for the remaining players on the roster, health will be the determining factor on whether they play.
Any injury, no matter how small, will no doubt sideline a player. For those who are on the roster in Vancouver, it is likely there will be a liberal substation plan in place. However, that has yet to be determined by the team.
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Marquay McDaniel was among the league’s leaders in receiving yards before being sidelined by injury. With his Nov. 7 return pending, how do the Stampeders plan to use their star receiver in the final game of the season? It’s a debate that applies to a number of key contributors on both sides of the ball. |
Fashioning the correct approach is a very difficult challenge for a coach. There is no concrete answer on what works.
The Stampeders lost three starters in their final game last year, and critics were quick to pounce on that as the reason they lost the West Final. Clearly losing two starting defensive linemen and a starting receiver didn’t help the cause, but the loss can more accurately be blamed on a spate of turnovers.
Then there is the home field curse in the West Final. Most coaches would prefer to have the home field for the big game, but it hasn’t proven to be much of an advantage. Of the last ten West Finals, the home team has won five — basically a flip of the coin.
The Stampeders are a perfect example of the fickleness of the West Final. In recent times, they have won at home (2008), lost at home (2010,2013), won on the road (2012) and lost on the road (2009). Very much, a mixed bag of results.
So with that background in place, the Stampeders will have plenty of big roster decisions to make.
They also have an opportunity to reach a couple of significant team milestones. A win in either of their final two games equals the season mark for wins at 15. The team reached that total in three consecutive years in the 1990’s.
By winning out in the final two games, the Stampeders could set a team record for wins and tie the Canadian Football League record for single-season victories at 16 (Edmonton, 1989).
There may be nothing at stake for the Calgary Stampeders, in the standings. But there are still plenty of decisions to be made.
